The development of my personal mission statement was the product of my early life experiences and learning . I was a preacher's kid (P.K.). I was sure that my dad had all of the correct answers to all of the questions of faith and life in general. Early on, I also believed that his answers were correct and would always be adequate and satisfactory for me. My first experience at preaching came when I was nine years old. Dad got up on Sunday morning with a wretched case of the flu. There was no else available to preach. I had climbed up on top of the chicken coop, gathered the neigborhood children around on the ground and practiced preaching many times. I would preach, pray, sing and invite them to know my Lord. Preaching was a natural thing for me to do. By the time I was eighteen, I too was pastoring a church. It was not difficult for me to preach at nine or pastor at eighteen. My dad had given me all of the answers for life and religion. As my life began to unfold, outside of my childhood home, more complex questions developed and I was forced to develop and present theological, philosophical and daily life answers for my parishioners, college friends and wife. Many issues and concepts no longer seemed simple and clear. I was studying and learning new ideas and developing some thoughts of my own that were not always consistent with the pat answers of the past. I became a doubter to the point of becoming an nonbeliever, even while pastoring churches. I dedicated significantly more time to study, discussions with my colleagues and evaluating who I was, what I was here to do, and in general searching for the meaning of life. This was occurring for me at a time when our society was beginning to question almost everything.
One day in the midst of reading and contemplation, it occurred to me that the order of things was not accidental. I cannot say that I was struck blind on the road to Damscus like Paul. It was more of an intellectual growth experience, although emotional at its conclusion. I realized that there was truly a god and that my understanding of God was actually consistent with the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. As I remembered the response of Jesus to the question, "Which commandment is the greatest?" and when he said in The Sermon On The Mount, "As you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.", my purpose was revealed to me. The experience I am describing occurred when I was twenty one. Thank God that even when I did not know him, my purpose had never changed and now that I do know him it will never change.
"My purpose (mission) is to respond to God's love by loving all people with whom I share life, using every resource I can find or generate for the enhancement of the quality of their lives."
Dan Robling 1997